North Island squadron wins major award

A local naval squadron has won a prestigious Defense Department award given to the military maintenance organization that demonstrates the country’s most outstanding performance in the field.

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77, based at Naval Air Station North Island, bested five other finalists to be named the 2012 Phoenix Award winner as the top military maintenance organization in the nation.

HSM-77 was the first Navy fleet squadron to transition to the MH-60R Seahawk.

HSM-77 received the award Nov. 15 at the 2012 Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium and Exhibition in Grand Rapids, Mich.

“It was the greatest honor of my professional career,” said Cmdr. Brent Gaut, 41, commanding officer of HSM-77. “Just to be involved as one of the six field-level maintenance winners was obviously rewarding. But then to be identified as the best of the best was remarkable.”

The squadron consists of about 260 sailors and has been based in San Diego for 25 years. On Feb. 15, it will be relocating to Japan, Gaut said. Twenty-four commands are nominated for the award, including six from each service. The six finalists traveled to Grand Rapids, where HSM-77 was named as the nation’s best.

In fiscal 2011, HSM-77 provided Carrier Air Wing 2 and Carrier Strike Group 9 with combat-ready aircraft and equipment and “flawlessly executed the first MH-60R deployment to the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility,” according to the award citation.

The maintenance group completed more than 38,000 work orders, performed 100,800 hours of maintenance, supported 7,168 hours of mishap-free flight hours and executed 2,344 sorties with a 97 percent completion rate.

All the while, HSM-77 experienced a 45 percent turnover in personnel.

“A lot of times, people don’t realize the hours these men work to execute the mission,” Gaut said. “In the end, we have to be combat-ready on time, every time. And what it takes to get there is a herculean effort on the part of each and every sailor. That’s why I’m so proud of them.”

Over the past two years, HSM-77 was deployed with 11 aircraft on five ships, said Lt. Cmdr. Aric Edmondson, 37. Gaut and Edmondson agreed that HSM-77 was given the opportunity to stand out, and it took full advantage.

“It’s incredible,” Edmondson said. “I think it’s the small things that make the difference. We’ve had a busy two years, and it’s validation that the guys did their job the right way.”